Who Shall Separate Us From The Love Of Christ?

​Romans 8:1-2, 5-6, 28-39 (NKJV)

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.

34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,

39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Roma 8:1-2, 5-6, 28-39 (AVB)

1 Dengan demikian, sekarang tidak ada hukuman bagi orang yang ada dalam Kristus Yesus.

2 Kerana melalui Kristus Yesus hukum Roh kehidupan telah membebaskanku daripada hukum dosa dan kematian.

5 Bagi orang yang hidup menurut sifat tabii yang berdosa, fikirannya tertumpu kepada apa yang diingini oleh sifat tabii itu; tetapi bagi orang yang hidup menurut Roh, jiwanya tertumpu kepada apa yang diingini oleh Roh.

6 Fikiran yang dikuasai oleh sifat tabii yang berdosa, adalah kematian. Tetapi fikiran yang dikuasai oleh Roh, adalah kehidupan dan kesejahteraan.

28 Dan kita tahu bahawa dalam semua hal Allah bekerja untuk kebaikan orang yang mengasihi-Nya, yang telah dipanggil menurut rancangan-Nya.

29 Kerana dari mulanya dahulu Allah telah menentukan mereka yang dipilih-Nya supaya menjadi selaras dengan rupa Anak-Nya, maka Anak itu merupakan yang sulung di antara saudara yang ramai.

30 Dan orang yang ditentukan Allah dari mulanya dahulu dipanggil-Nya; orang yang dipanggil-Nya itu diperbenar-Nya; orang yang diperbenar-Nya itu dipermulia-Nya pula.

31 Jadi, apakah yang akan kita katakan sebagai sambutan kepada hal ini? Jika Allah memihak kepada kita, siapa dapat melawan kita?

32 Dia tidak mengecualikan Anak-Nya sendiri, tetapi menyerahkan-Nya untuk kita semua. Oleh itu, tidakkah Dia, bersama Anak-Nya itu, juga akan memberikan segala-galanya kepada kita dengan rela?

33 Siapa yang akan mendakwa orang pilihan Allah? Allah yang memperbenar.

34 Siapakah yang dapat mempersalah kita? Kristus Yesus, yang telah mati, bahkan lebih daripada itu, yang telah dibangkitkan, berada di sebelah kanan Allah dan juga berdoa syafaat bagi pihak kita.

35 Siapa yang akan memisahkan kita daripada kasih Kristus? Kekacauan atau kesusahan atau penganiayaan atau kebuluran atau ketelanjangan atau bahaya atau pedang?

36 Sebagaimana tersurat dalam Kitab Suci: “Kerana-Mu kami menghadapi maut sepanjang hari; Kami dianggap sebagai domba untuk disembelih.”

37 Tidak! Dalam semua hal ini kita lebih daripada para penakluk melalui Dia yang mengasihi kita.

38 Kerana aku yakin bahawa kematian mahupun kehidupan, para malaikat mahupun para pemerintah, masa kini mahupun masa depan, baik kuasa apa pun,

39 ketinggian mahupun kedalaman, baik apa pun yang lain dalam seluruh ciptaan, tidak akan dapat memisahkan kita daripada kasih Allah yang di dalam Kristus Yesus, Tuhan kita.

Who Wants Jesus?

Tumblethoughts

No Ragrets

So I’ve considered getting tattoos. But I’ve never wanted any.

Mainly because I haven’t seen one that I’d like to see on me (but it’s not that I’ll get one the moment I see one that may look good on me). They’re normally too showy, and may cause too much reaction.. Or… too non-showy (or very hidey), and would defeat the purpose of having it. Also, I’d like to have a reason for having it. I mean, decor would be a good reason, but I don’t really ever wear anything or do anything to myself to look good (which is why I always look boring haha). A reminder may be a really good reason to have a tattoo. Maybe to remind me of a scripture verse like Phil 4:8. Maybe I could write something like “phil.iv.viii”. That may be cool to some degree. But another reason why I wouldn’t consider it is cuz I don’t want to make any decision I would regret later on. I want to practice making no ragrets decisions. Because practice makes perfect.

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Church Prayer Meeting

Joey and I lead the CHURCH prayer meeting today. The church is trying to get the different ministries and cell groups to take turns leading the prayer meeting. So today it was the youth ministry’s turn. First time LEADING an ADULT activity, instead of teens or childrens service. And what made it MORE exciting is that we only knew about it yesterday morning. So for two days I was stressed and emotionally insecure. And in fact, I got pretty moody and wanted to pray LESS. But I had support and we were able to be a bit prepared. I had to help Joey find the right words and to process her thoughts into prayer items. She had to help me calm the heck down. I was having a hard time focusing on what’s important. But I could, eventually. Having friends do make a lot of difference.

The most exciting thing was that our worship leader didn’t know he was on duty to lead worship. I had faith that he’d turn up, so I didn’t make a call to double check till the very last minute. So I appointed myself to lead worship. So for five minutes (after the prayer meeting has started), a few things happened at the same time. I set up the guitar. Uncle Abot told me which songs he already had on powerpoint. Joey looked through the songsheets and songs which were on powerpoint to see if there are songs I’d like to use. I chose songs. Joey recruited Shen to play the keyboard as Shen entered the prayer hall. My brother had to type out the lyrics of my last song because it was not on the powerpoint. And I felt God’s leading during worship. Now that’s teamwork.

And prayer tonight turned out really really well. A lot weller than I expected. Joey lead two important prayer points. Firstly on Malaysia, our political state, and for disaster victims. Then on Israel, she had a verse that has been on her heart for a long time. She read the verse (choking back tears) and explained why Israel needs prayer. But Joey and I didn’t need to pray much. These adults who come are really real real intercessors. Boy, can they pray. They really know the current situations and how to pray for these things. Gosh I’m so shallow.

Alright so, if you are in KK, Sabah, Malaysia, and want to feel the presence of God and enter into His throne, you could come visit my church SIB Likas (E) in Likas. Wednesday nights, 8-9.30pm.

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Currently Reading: ATLA – The Promise

For those of you who know me. I really like the Avatar the Last Airbender cartoon. I’ve watched all the seasons. Really good story-telling. Fun, heart-wrenching, teeth-gritting, action-packed, adventurous, and really funny. But they’re not done yet. They’ve got comics (Graphic novels they called them, cuz it’s loooong) of Lost Adventures. Or maybe they’re just sequels. Whatever they are. It’s also really good. There are three sets, each with 3 novels (wiki says it’s ONE graphic novel in three parts). First set is in the pic above: The Promise. Second is called The Search, and third is called The Rift.

Oh yeah. Forgot to mention. I have it all in a public dropbox folder. So… if you are my friend, you can privately message me and ask me for the link.

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I think that’s about it for today.

P.S. God I can’t thank You enough.

Preachers Teachers Clowns

 

Think about it

 

 

Bribing As Motivation 101

For those of you close minded people, I’d like to say one thing. Bribing works wonders! It’s true. If it’s not true, why would it be so popular? We know it’s true because we see it. It’s a quick way to get wanted results. That’s a good deal right? Speed + results! And if you’re good enough, you can hide your tracks. Problem with this: conscience.

So before i talk about anything, let’s google-define the word ‘bribe’: to persuade (someone) to act in one’s favor, typically illegally or dishonestly, by a gift of money or other inducement. Ah ok. So key words here are dishonest and illegal. So is ‘bribing’ your kids to study bad? No, because according to this, it’s not a bribe. Illegal bribes are easy to spot. They’re bribes in situations where bribing isn’t allowed by the law. Dishonest bribes are a bit harder to spot. Because of the unspoken rules. Generally, if there’s a queue to a counter, it’s understood that latecomers have to insert themselves in queue at the back of the line. We all understand that that’s fair. But maybe Mr. Aaron decides since there isn’t any law here that says to line up, I’ll just ask a favor (with the motivation of money) of the counter attendant to deal with me first. I am in a rush too. We all know that cutting line is bad, but mostly because it slows our queue. But it is still a dishonest gain right? Because according to the ethical scale embedded inside us, everyone has to have an equal opportunity. If a line is served according to how much money you can pump into bribing, then it’ll be rich first, and poor last (if ever). For me, a bribe is when it negatively effects other people. Which is the main reason why corporate laws on integrity are of big importance. Here are my thoughts, I think a bribe is a form of motivation. A bribe can be both positive motivation (reward) and negative motivation (threat/punishment). And they’re bad because they either break rules, or are against our conscience. But, is bribing a sin?

What does the bible say about bribing. Let me be honest, I was very confused/intrigued by what the God has to say about bribing. They seem to contradict. And the word of God CANNOT contradict, or else it isn’t God’s word. Proverbs 15:27 Greed brings grief to the whole family, but those who hate bribes will live. And Proverbs 17:8 A bribe is like a lucky charm; whoever gives one will prosper! Seems like on one hand, bribing is bad, on another bribing is good. I think we forget to think that bribing is an act. It doesn’t reveal the nature of the heart. To assure you, the evil nature of greed is addressed in the bible. Deuteronomy 16:19 You must never twist justice or show partiality. Never accept a bribe, for bribes blind the eyes of the wise and corrupt the decisions of the godly. Exodus 23:8 “Take no bribes, for a bribe makes you ignore something that you clearly see. A bribe makes even a righteous person twist the truth. Proverbs 17:23 The wicked take secret bribes to pervert the course of justice. But the bible is also saying that bribing can be used for good. Proverbs 18:16 Giving a gift can open doors; it gives access to important people! Proverbs 21:14 A secret gift calms anger; a bribe under the table pacifies fury. So let’s get practical and REALLY ask, can bribing really be used for good?

Like I said, bribing is an act. It’s not an attitude. God will judge the attitude and intention of the heart. We can bribe to send an innocent person to jail. And we can pay a bribe to release a wrongly accused. We can contract a killer to kill our boss. And we can ‘contract’ an authority to see that a missionary’s visa is approved. Honestly, I hate bribes. I’m against it, but if my daughter was kidnapped and they asked for money, I’d be more than willing to participate in that bribe to keep my daughter safe. And I doubt I’ll feel bad. I think I’ll have peace in my conscience about the bribe. My sin would probably not be that I participated in a bribe, but that I have hate against the kidnappers. I know this sounds pretty unchristiany, but bribes is not a sin. Especially not if you’re the victim of the injustice. However, if you’re the one who’s asking for money to act unjustly, then the problem is greed. Then it’s a sin. If it’s an ‘opportunity’, well, you’ll have to look at the intention of your heart of why you’re agreeing. Guess what, I think Jesus would have participated in a bribe if he needed to.

Did Jesus do anything wrong during his time on earth? Contrary to popular belief, YES he did. It was so controversial, that moral codes and ethics were questioned. Tradition in a traditionally strong culture was shaken. People hated Jesus because of the rules he’s broken. Yet he dared to call himself King. Yet he dared to say that he’s the fulfillment of the word (wooooots). E.g. Luke 6:6-9 On another Sabbath day, a man with a deformed right hand was in the synagogue while Jesus was teaching. The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees watched Jesus closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath. But Jesus knew their thoughts. He said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.”So the man came forward. Then Jesus said to his critics, “I have a question for you. Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” So in the Torah (Jewish book of Law given by God) it was God’s law that the Sabbath day is made for rest. No work is to be done on that day. So the Jews started to make weird rules based on this Sabbath law. Eg. like you can’t walk past your neighbors house because walking is a lot of work. But Jesus came to earth to explain that the law is not a list of do’s and don’ts. The law is for the alignment heart and attitude, and for the growth of character.

Excerpted from Jesus’ sermon on the mount (Matt 5): … You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell…  You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So Jesus came to earth to explain that it’s not the action that breaks God’s law (and His heart). No, it’s our hearts and our attitude and our character that breaks the Law. If I was paying a ‘gift’ to be released from jail early, whether I sin or not will depend on why. Is it because I don’t want to face the consequences of my actions? Is it because I don’t want my family and friends to know what I did? Or is it because I felt that I’ve been wrongly accused and I don’t think that’s where God wants me to be at that moment? Ask yourself what is the intention of acting the briber or agreeing to be bribed? Greed? Fame? Compassion? Love? Shame? Pride? Laziness? When asking yourself, our conscience will come into play and help us. And the Holy Spirit works with and guides our conscience. With choosing the right action, will come peace and joy. Acting against it will result in uneasiness and fear. Yeah. I agree that these are such subjective emotions to be using to weigh our action. But with practice, we’ll be able to make decisions as close to what is righteous as possible. Sure, we’ll never be perfect, but we can always try, right?

I guess my conclusion can be this, the problem is not so much the act of bribing, but the attitude and intention of the heart. The Church tends to get very traditionalized that the act of worship becomes the focus of christian lives and teachings. That’s very Pharisaical isn’t it? Jesus said their clean acts are just an outward show. What’s more important is the internal attitude and character. Clean the inside and the outside will be clean as well.

Acts 5

Verses 2-3

 

But with his wife’s agreement he kept part of the money for himself and turned the rest over to the apostles.

Peter said to him, “Ananias, why did you let Satan take control of you and make you lie to the Holy Spirit by keeping part of the money you received for the property?

 

okay, the first thought i had.

Did i just see Peter calling Ananias’s wife “Satan”?

thats just mean. i hope Peter doesnt do that to MY wife when she makes a mistake hahaha.

so i checked in the later verses, Peter did NOT call Sapphira (Ananias’s wife) “Satan” while confronting her.

 

so how does Satan take control of us and make us sin?

Well. he just does.

If God can use us to bless others,

Satan can use us to stumble others.

 

Also, I found a key word.

…why did you let Satan take control of you…

Let

Satan cannot use us if we don’t let him.

He can’t touch us or do anything to us, if we don’t let him.

choices. choices. choices.

yet, we DO allow him, don’t we?

i have concluded that we humans are just weak.

we are weak because we naturally do bad things.

the word of God says that we are born sinners.

Ps 51:5

Surely I was sinful at birth,
    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

that makes sense, since everyone in the world agrees that it is easier to give in to doing wrong,

and it is so hard to decide to do right.

 

but it is possible to do good and we need to strive for holiness.

this is a reminder to myself.

choices. choices. choices.

 

 

 

Verses 12-16

 

 Many miracles and wonders were being performed among the people by the apostles. All the believers met together in Solomon’s Porch. Nobody outside the group dared join them, even though the people spoke highly of them. But more and more people were added to the group—a crowd of men and women who believed in the Lord. As a result of what the apostles were doing, sick people were carried out into the streets and placed on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. And crowds of people came in from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing those who were sick or who had evil spirits in them; and they were all healed.

 

this reminds me of a thought i’ve been having some days ago.

what is the church, really?

why do people come to church?

we come to church because we admit that we are broken, and sick, and needy, and we are looking for the answer.

we come back to church because we have found the answer and we need more.

 

but i’m reminded that Jesus said He wasnt here for the rich and the healthy.

He was here for the sick and the needy.

i think that as a church, we need to be more open to these people.

and we need to remember that we are like a hospital of some sort.

when we say “i went to the hospital”, surely someone will ask “oh what happened?”

correct?

because the hospital is the solution of a problem.

and in the hospital the problem is usually a physical problem, and that is the place we trust to have a cure.

 

but everyone in the world has spiritual problems. whether we know it or not.

 we should be the solution of a problem.

people with problems will come to church and be touched by God.

just like people flocking to go and touch Peter’s shadow to be healed.

 

let us be a church that is a vessel of God’s spiritual, mental, and emotional solutions.

 

 

 

Some Old Thoughts

Blogging Money

 

so i did have a few thoughts to write about today,

and i cant help but think that i do blog quite a lot.

i like to share my thoughts.

though its very messy, but i like doing it.

and there are people who genuinely enjoy reading my thoughts.

 

so today, i was thinking:

why dont i register for those ads program where i can earn extra income (even if its a few cents per month).

i can put ads on my blog.

sure.

i update often.

sure.

problem is,

with xanga FREE i cant do it! NOOOOO

if i pay for Xanga Premium then yes i can.

=(

but its quite expensive.

alternative:

migrate my blogging work to wordpress or blogger.

=(

should I?

i feel so attached to this one.

 

 

 

Purpose

 

lots of us dont like to ask ‘why’ at the right time.

this is because we tend to be afraid to look into ourselves to dig out real reasoning.

last week during prayer meeting, my senior pastor asked the whole group of about 20 people:

Why are you here in prayer meeting?

and she asked us to be honest.

dont just give really holy “politically (or religiously correct)” answers.

my answer is too simple.

you know my answer, i’ve shared this last time in a post of random thoughts.

i want to learn to really pray. and the best place to do it is with people who have a great prayer heart and fire.

 

my question to you:

Why do you go to church?

Why do you believe in what you believe in?

 

 

 

Leadership

 

so in my previous post of the same title Leader,

i talked about how a pastor was thinking of training a leader based on what he saw a boy do.

stack the chairs and clean up.

 

well, some of you know that i myself am a leader in my church youth group.

funny thing is,

i had NO capabilities whatsoever at that time.

i was not great with leadership skills, i wasnt good in relating with people,

i hated confronting people, i was pretty happy-go-lucky (not as responsible as i should at my age),

i liked to make jokes at inappropriate times, and i disliked being on stage or in the spot light.

and i wasnt even CLOSE to SMART.

but one thing about me is that i just wanted to be there to help.

i wanted to serve.

i remember being so proud of myself because in my schools Christian Fellowship Club,

i attended every single meeting, i attended every prayer meeting,

and i wasnt even a leader of post in the club.

i was a no one.

even the leaders and the committee members skipped at least once.

anyways i was picked to be a leader because of my commitment.

and i loved my God.

easy as that.

 

question:

Who gets to be leader?

The one who is comfortable under pressure?

the one who is comfortable in the spot light?

the one who is comfortable giving orders?

the one comfortable loving others?

mind boggling.

 

 

 

Sales

 

Did you notice that i dislike selling an idea to people?

i did.

i dont like it when my Amway friends keep trying to sell me their product.

i said no bro.

i dont like it when my dad keeps reminding me about prayer meeting.

i said im going bro.

you know, its not whether i agree with you or not,

its just that you’re a bugger.

this is EXACTLY why i hear SOOO SOOO MUCH about why people don’t go to church.

they have no problem with Jesus.

they have problems with the christians.

what stuck up little humbugs we really are.

 

i have no solutions to this.

maybe we need to be less annoying.

maybe we need to be less proud, then they might trust our words more.

maybe we need to live a more fruitful life, be a living proof.

maybe we need to talk less.

maybe we need to sit back and let God do his thang.

i dunno.

 

what do you think we should do to stop SELLING our religion??